Texas State Parks Offer Holiday Gift Special

By purchasing a State Parks Pass gift certificate, you will be providing the gift recipient and their guests with a year of free entry to some 120 Texas state parks, historic sites and state natural areas that represent the best of Texas’ natural and cultural attractions. Order yours before Dec. 31 and you’ll receive a commemorative 2006 Texas State Parks tree ornament, a pillow box for the ornament and gift card.

The Texas State Parks Pass gift certificates may be purchased for $60 at most Texas state parks or ordered by phone from the Customer Service Center, (512) 389-8900. Recipients of the gift certificate can then redeem the certificate at a Texas state park, historic site or state natural area and receive their State Parks Pass. Persons who redeem the gift certificate by June 30, 2006, also receive a free 12-month subscription to Texas Parks & Wildlife Magazine.

Customers also can purchase the past four years’ collectible Texas State Parks ornaments for $4.25 each, plus tax and shipping charges by calling the Customer Service Center in Austin at (512) 389-8900. A special “RV There Yet” holiday ornament also is available through the service center. In addition, the following parks offer their own commemorative ornaments available on site: Barrington Farm, Bastrop-Buescher, Battleship TEXAS, Casa Navarro, Eisenhower, Eisenhower Birthplace, Fulton Mansion, Garner, Goose Island, Longhorn Cavern, Lost Maples, Lyndon B. Johnson, Monahans Sandhills, Monument Hill/Kreische Brewery, Palo Duro Canyon, San Jacinto, Texas State Railroad, Washington-on-the-Brazos and Wyler Aerial Tramway.

In addition to unlimited free visits to all Texas state parks, the pass also includes discounts at select parks on camping, lodging, park store merchandise, equipment rentals and free programs. Other perks for pass holders are a quarterly e-newsletter, The Getaway Planner; a free copy of the Texas State Park Guide; and a bumper sticker.

More than 100,000 parks passes have been sold since the program debuted on Jan. 1, 2004. Revenues this year have already outpaced last year’s sales totals, generating needed funds for the operation and upkeep of Texas state parks. Through Oct. 29 of this year, TPWD reported sales of 57,978 park passes, up from sales this time last year.

“I can’t think of a better gift than that of the great outdoors and some of Texas’ most significant heritage that the parks pass delivers,” said Walt Dabney, Texas state parks director. “The brass-plated tree ornament adds value to the deal and goes a long way toward supporting our state park system.”

In addition to the parks pass, holiday shoppers can purchase a host of other unusual gift items from the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, such as books, videos, conservation license plates, posters, wildlife stamps and more, by visiting the TPWD Web site and selecting links to books, posters, collectible wildlife stamps, caps and more.